After starting the weekend on a hot offensive streak, the North Carolina softball team (5-4) self-destructed in the final inning against Ohio State (4-3) to lose 10-2 for its first loss of the weekend.
What happened?
The opening inning of North Carolina’s second matchup against the Buckeyes revealed the wear and tear that a weekend-long tournament can have on a team. For the first time all weekend, the Tar Heels failed to score in the first inning, with only one hit in their opening at-bats.
Berlynne Delamora got things started in the second by drawing a walk and was replaced on the base path by Hailey Cole. When Katelyn Shifflett hammered one off the right-field fence two batters later, the Tar Heels took the early 1-0 lead.
In the bottom half of the inning, the Buckeyes pushed back and loaded the bases with one out, but Sydney Matzko and the defense found a way to escape the jam unscathed.
Ohio State rebounded from its failed opportunity with a relentless offensive pursuit the rest of the way. The Buckeyes scored three runs in the third and added another homer in the fourth, while the UNC offense went cold.
In the fifth inning, the Tar Heels showed some life and scratched another run to bring the score to 4-2 after a double by Destiny DeBerry that scored pinch runner Micaela Abbatine.
After scratching their way back into it, the Tar Heels self-destructed in the field, committing an early error and leaving the ball up high at the plate. Ohio State capitalized on the mistakes and blew the game wide open, eventually mercy-ruling North Carolina in a 10-2 win.